MADISON — Head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Monday, offering some final thoughts on the 23-3 win over Penn State, the upcoming threat of facing No. 3 Penn State at home and more.

BadgerBlitz.com has compiled the key takeaways.

Over the last three games, the defense has obviously improved in a variety of ways, only allowing 16 points in that span, but the most glaring progression we’ve seen is up front with the defensive line

Against three run-first teams, they allowed an average of 131.3 rushing yards per game, compared to 171 yards per game against Alabama and USC.

Fickell was asked about the strides he’s seen from his defensive line, citing the ability to “play multiple guys” as the biggest tangible difference.

“There's 65 snaps, and some guys are playing 45 and some are playing 20. That's not really what [we want]. So I think our ability, [defensive line] Coach E.J. [Whitlow]'s ability, [outside linebackers] Coach [Matt] Mitch[ell], his ability to truly have a balance of those guys, it's giving them an opportunity to continue to grow,” Fickell said.

The coaches have established a clear hierarchy of defensive linemen. Curt Neal leads all interior linemen with 234 snaps this season, per PFF, followed by Elijah Hills and Ben Barten, who are neck-and-neck with 220 and 219, respectively. Further down the list is the trio of Cade McDonald, Brandon Lane and Dillan Johnson, who are all in the 58-70 snap territory.

The edge rotation is more spaced out but still somewhat hierarchical, as Darryl Peterson leads with 267 snaps, followed by Leon Lowery (228), John Pius (179), Aaron Witt (135) and Sebastian Cheeks (51) rounding out the main rotation.

“Everybody wants to talk about sacks. Everybody wants to talk about the minus yardage plays. But the difference in ball games are when you can establish a line of scrimmage, when you can create walls, and when you can pressure quarterbacks by not running around things and really kind of execute the game plan. And if there's one thing that those guys have done particularly really well the last two weeks, is be challenged to do something maybe a little bit different, then execute on Saturday.”

With the challenge of Penn State’s defense looming, Fickell was asked how the offensive line will maintain their momentum against the most talented front they’ve played in a few weeks.

The offensive line’s success against these previous three teams has been heartening, but they didn’t have nearly as many former four and five-star recruits on the front as the Nittany Lions.

“It's going to be a little bit different than it was the past week. Last week, you knew where the guys were going to be. They were going to be big, they would be physical, they're going to be strong, they're going to be square. This week, it's a little bit different in the sense that you don't know exactly where they're going to be. They're going to move all around. They've got really, really good athletes. I think, obviously, that's where the strength of their team is.”

He was later asked about the general improvements he’s seen from the line over the three-game winning streak, he praised the room but didn’t offer a tangible observation.

“I know it's easier for guys to say, ‘Well, there's got to be a reason why you're winning and there's got to be a reason why you're running the football better.’ And I can honestly say, I just think that guys are continuing to play better together.”

He could be referencing the fact that they’ve rolled out the same five starters in every game this season, which is different from last year, when they couldn’t decide on Trey Wedig or Michael Furtney at left guard until halfway through the season.

This year’s offensive line has been more consistent, and much more successful.

An emerging contributor over the past few games has been Cheeks.

The transfer from North Carolina didn’t log a single snap in any of the first three games of the season, per PFF. He technically made his Badger debut against the Trojans, but didn’t make a true impact until the following week against Purdue, when he logged two pressures and two sacks.

Cheeks had another eventful outing on Saturday in Evanston, logging three pressures, two hurries and a sack in just 19 snaps.

Fickell talked about the development he’s seen from the inside-turned-outside linebacker.

“We made a transition with him, I think, two weeks into camp. I think maybe after [freshman edge rusher] Thomas Heiberger got hurt, it didn't take long for us to realize and believe that this [outside linebacker] is his best position. I didn't say that maybe he always felt like that, or feels like that, but [we’ve] definitely seen him, over the last four or five weeks, grow and understand the position more and become more of an asset for us. And I think he's going to continue to do that.

“Obviously, he's not played as many reps maybe, as he might hope at times, but I think that's the thing we keep talking about by the guys up front. We have the ability to roll a lot of guys right now. There's five guys, at least, playing up there on those outside linebacker spots, and maybe even six with Thomas Heiberger getting back into the mix, and all of them have a little bit of a different strength and ability. And we're just trying to find ways to continue to use those guys in the best ways possible. But he's a guy that definitely showed up, and in some of these games, he's produced, whether it's sacks or havoc plays or tackles for loss. He is a guy that's going to be a difference.”

Ever since receiver Trech Kekahuna’s breakout game against Purdue, when he caught six passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, fans have expected more production from the redshirt freshman. Since then, he’s recorded just five catches for 57 yards.

An obstacle to Kekahuna’s playing time, oddly enough, is the presence of receiver Will Pauling, who’s established himself as the best receiver on the team since coming to Madison prior to last offseason.

The issue is that both receivers primarily line up in the slot. For a run-first team that likes to use tight ends, it can be difficult to use multiple slot receivers together.

Fickell talked about this conflict.

“That's why it's important that, in your first year or two years in a system, that you call it a system, and guys learn it as a system, so that there's interchangeable parts. We know that both those guys might fit a little bit better in slots, but the ability to get your best players on the field, it has to be taught systematically. And I think that's where you're seeing the growth of the things that we've done from year one to year two is guys understand the system better, and when they understand the system better, they can be plugged into different spots. And when you can be plugged into different spots, just like offense and defense, you can get your best 11 guys on the field.

“That's a process that takes time sometimes, and it takes want-to by the guys as well, to challenge themselves to do that. So we had a better opportunity, better chance, to do that. And then obviously, injuries have put us in some of those situations to have to do it a little bit more, but that's where I think we got to continue to grow, figuring out, how do we get the best 11 guys out there? Sometimes the best 11 is four wide, sometimes it's two wides, but either way, it's a lot of time for both those two guys on the field.”

Right before Wisconsin rattled off a three-game winning streak, they were dealt some unfortunate news, when running back Chez Mellusi announced he would be stepping away from the program due to health concerns. He’d suffered a major injury in three straight seasons and decided his body wasn’t quite where he wanted it to be.

This pushed Tawee Walker into the starting role, and he’s taken complete advantage. Over the last three games, he’s logged 418 yards on 7.4 yards per carry and six rushing touchdowns.

Fickell was asked what gave him confidence in Walker’s ability to become a bell cow back.

“It's been great to see him be able to do that, because I've been around some pretty dynamic backs. And as you get into the season, you kind of recognize and assess where they're best. We had a back that was a pretty good draft pick that, as we got into the season… we recognized that he probably was best with no more than 18 to 20 carries. And as we got into the season, I think we're starting to recognize that Tawee, in particular, is a guy that's much better with more than 18 to 20 carries. And you might have assumed that as he walked in the door, just being an older guy, being mature, being physical, being strong, but a lot has to do mentally with the way you go about the game. So it's been impressive to see him as he's continued to grow and show us how he can handle things, how he gets better with the more carries that he has.”

One of the issues Fickell had with Saturday’s performance had to do with their mistakes on special teams, namely Nathanial Vakos’ missed kick from 41 yards in the second quarter that was blocked by a Wildcat. That miss dropped his stats to six-for-10 on field goals for the year.

Fickell was asked about his confidence level in Vakos.

“I don't think he's had as many opportunities, and I think that's a good thing. That's why I keep trying to remind him, ‘You have to have your patience.’ And if you know when things aren't going as well and we have to kick a lot of field goals, that's not always a good thing either. But I think that's where it can get a little bit frustrating. And I think those opportunities becoming fewer and far between make it even harder on those guys. When they're in a rhythm, when they're kicking two or three field goals a game and having more opportunities, yes, they do feel better about what it is they're doing, and then knowing that your opportunities are limited when you go in there, he's got to be able to handle that.”

After making five of his first seven field goal attempts over the first three games, he’s gone just one-for-three since.

“Hopefully, the better we get, the less we need him. But when we need him, it's really important and really big. We have the utmost confidence. And again, he's got to get himself back into rhythm, but it's more about just understanding that, ‘Hey, it's a good thing when you don't get as many opportunities. But we trust you. We believe in you.’”

Saturday will give the Badgers an opportunity to beat their first top-five team since taking down No. 1 Ohio State in 2010.

Fickell was asked about the prospect of playing such a highly ranked team.

“We knew, in this league, this is what we signed up for. Week in and week out, it's going to continue to be those situations. And if we start to look at it differently, look, it's a night game. It's later in the day. We know there's going to be an environment that's going to be really exciting and fun. And I think that's what we need to look at. Not, ‘Hey, what are these guys ranked? What do people think?’ Try to put all those things behind us and just recognize [that] this is a big game because we've had an opportunity to make it a big game. And the way that our guys have played the last few weeks makes it a bigger game. Nothing else matters,” Fickell said.

“We talked about it last week, of payback, redemption, and the way we played last year. And you talk about those things, but I'd say, once that ball's kicked off, none of that matters. And so people will talk about it this week, in some light, but once that ball's kicked off, none of that matters. And we have to continue to focus on the things that matter.”

Right after discussing the value of a night game against such a highly ranked opponent, Fickell was asked about the general value of Camp Randall’s home field advantage.

“I think that this place has been a home field advantage, obviously, over time, but you have to make it up and build an advantage. I think that's one of those things that Coach [Barry] Alvarez [said] when he came a little bit and visited early in the season, he kept talking about the environment and making this place at home. But you have to make it the home field advantage.

“I think we put a lot upon ourselves to say, ‘This is something that falls on our shoulders, too. If we don't go out there and start fast and do the things we've done the last few weeks, then it doesn't become a home field advantage.’ So we got to pride ourselves in making it and creating it as well. Otherwise, you just assume that the students got to get there earlier. ‘Students got to get there early.’ Well, you know, ‘Give us a reason to get there a hell of a lot earlier’, and that's what we got to do.”

At the start of the winning streak, against Purdue, the Badgers lost starting receiver Bryson Green midway through the game due to a lower body injury. Despite remaining on the unofficial two-deeps, we haven’t seen him since the injury.

In standard Fickell fashion, he only offered somewhat of an injury update.

“I mean, we were hoping that this would be the week he would be able to make it back. He's a tough guy. I mean, he would have been out there last week had you let him.

“But he's a guy that's going to give it everything he's got, and it'll be more of a game time situation. I don't know how much he'll be able to do during the week. This is only Monday, but I still don't know how much we would think he's going to be able to do on a Tuesday and a Wednesday. But again, I don't ever count him out. You count him out, he'll surprise you. So we’ll have a better idea later in a week… I would say he's limited right now.”

The key words here seem to be “game time situation”, which seems to mean we’ll know his status on Saturday.

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